Before It's Too Late
by Nathan Lane-Beatles Luvr
Summary: After Sirius's death. Harry comes to Remus for comfort, but Remus ends up breaking Harry's heart. Can he fix it before their friendship is lost? And what happens when it is discovered that Sirius is alive, brought back, and finds out about what happened?


Harry was so lost and heartbroken; his godfather had just been murdered and it had been his fault. Everyone was mourning him but no one more than Harry…except maybe Remus. Yes, Remus was probably more heartbroken over Sirius' death more than anybody, seeing as Sirius, along with Harry's father, James, had been Remus' best friends. Harry was wandering around Grimmauld Place, which was where everyone had gone after the battle at the Ministry, and found himself outside the room where Remus was staying. Harry knocked on the door and Remus opened it, looking exhausted.

"Yes, Harry?" Remus said, irritation creeping into his voice.

"I was…I wanted to….I thought that maybe we could talk," Harry finished lamely.

Remus huffed quietly and opened his door and stepped aside to allow Harry entrance. The fifteen year old wizard shuffled into the room and sat down on the bed.

Remus came and sat beside him.

"I miss him, Remus," Harry said. "I'm such an idiot for allowing myself to be fooled. Hermione was right; Voldemort was only screwing with my head. I don't…. what am I going to do, Remus? He was all the family that I had left." Harry looked up at his former teacher, searching for answers, but found none.

"I should have tried harder with Occulmency, and maybe then Sirius wouldn't be…he would still be here. It's my fault, Remus. It's my fault."

Remus just stared at the ground for a few seconds and then looked at him and said the three words that crushed Harry's heart into dust.

"Yes it is," Remus said his blue eyes stony with coldness and hatred.

Harry could barely believe that Remus, his Professor, his mentor and father-figure, had said that to him. Harry felt as though someone had plunged a dagger into his heart and kept twisting it. He could barely breathe and he fought tooth-and-nail to keep the tears out of his eyes.

Harry stood up and walked out of Remus' room, letting the tears roll down his face.

Remus was sitting on his bed, watching Harry's slowly retreating back. He honestly felt ashamed of how he had treated Harry, when he came to him for someone to talk to and grieve with. Harry came to him for comfort and Remus broke his heart. He never meant to hurt Harry, he was just so angry and disappointed that Harry didn't automatically realize that Voldemort was only screwing around with him. But then again, Sirius was his only family that he had left…well the only family that loved him anyway.

Remus sighed and put his face in his hands.

It had been around a couple weeks since Harry's incident with Remus and he still felt horrible about the way he treated Harry.

Remus, along with the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix, was sitting in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. They were in a meeting when Mad-Eye came bursting into the kitchen with amazing news.

"He's alive. Sirius is alive."

"What?" Everybody gasped.

Mad-Eye nodded and explained how when Sirius fell through the veil, Bellatrix's spell hadn't hit him with full force. The veil cancelled out part of the spell's normal effect. It was amazing but, with Mad-Eye's and Tonks' help, the Aurors had been able to pull Sirius out of the veil.

He was extremely weak and unconscious but he was alive.

"Right now, he's in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey is taking good care of him. He'll be here tomorrow," said Mad-Eye.

**Sirius is alive! Oh my god, it's a miracle. Wait till Harry finds out! I should go and tell him.** Remus thought.

**Wait, will he even want to see me? Oh, Merlin, he probably hates me for what I did to him.** **Besides, it'll be a nice surprise for Harry…if the shock doesn't knock him out. Oh, this is going to be interesting**

When Sirius arrived the next day, he was still a little frail-looking, but he was so thrilled to see his friends again.

"Moony!" he barked happily when he saw his best friend.

Remus embraced Sirius happily and said, "I thought I'd never see you again, Padfoot."

Sirius chuckled and said, "Please, Bellatrix will have to do much better than that. Besides, the next time that I see her, if I ever do, I will be sure to pay my dear cousin back the favor. Now, where is my godson? Where is Harry?"

Remus looked down at his friend, who was a good couple of inches shorter than him and said, "He's probably in the room he shares with Ron. Hermione and Ginny might be in there too." Sirius brushed past his friend and bolted up the stairs. He knocked on the door and a thrill of happiness ran threw his body when he heard his godson's voice.

"Yeah, come in."

Sirius opened the door and was met by shrieks of "Sirius?" and "Oh my god! You're alive!"

Hermione jumped up and ran straight into Sirius' arms. Hermione hugged him and tears were in her eyes when she released him. Ginny and Ron did the same and then Harry.

Harry stood very slowly and said, "Sirius." He laughed as he ran to his Godfather and hugged him.

"Oh, Harry," Sirius smiled and held his godson close.

"Sirius, you have no idea how crushed I was when I saw you fall through the veil. I wanted to kill Bellatrix and Remus had to actually hold me back. Although, when I did break out of his grip, I tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on her."

Sirius just smiled as the other three teenagers in the room left to give them some privacy. "Well, I'm here now. And guess what? As soon as I can, I'm going to ask Dumbledore about you coming to live with me and me possibly adopting you."

Harry went wide-eyed and just said, "That'd be bloody brilliant, Sirius."

"So, Harry, let's talk. I can tell that something has been bothering you. I can see it in your eyes."

"Well, it's Remus. After you fell through the veil, I was so distraught and devastated. I went to Remus to talk about what happened and be comforted some…Sirius, I thought that it was my fault and I told Remus that it was and he said that it was. He told me that it was my fault. Sirius, he hates me for having gone to the Ministry. He hates me for believing what Voldemort put in my mind."

Sirius couldn't believe that Remus would blame Harry for what happened. Sirius was incensed and his gray eyes darkened to the color of thunder clouds.

"Remus…" Sirius growled. He gave Harry one more reassuring hug and said, "I'll sort him out, Harry. Don't worry." Sirius got up and went to find Remus. He found him sitting in the study, reading a book.

"Remus," Sirius said. "We need to talk…now."

Remus looked up from his novel and closed it, setting it aside. "Okay."

Sirius nodded and practically growled, "How dare you blame him for what happened at the Ministry?"

Remus looked shocked and said, "Sirius, you have to understand…we thought you were dead. You're my best friend…I never meant to hurt him. I was just angry and devastated..."

"Don't make excuses, Remus. He came to you out of everyone else and you broke his heart. He thinks you hate him, Remus."

Remus looked down and said, "I could never hate him. To be honest, I think that he hates me."

"No, Remus. He doesn't hate you. He's a little mad at you, and he's more than sad, but he doesn't hate you. You're family."

After a few silent seconds, Sirius said, "Fix this, Remus. I don't want my best friend and brother at odds with my godson, possibly soon-to-be adopted son."

"You're going to adopt him?"

"If Dumbledore agrees, yes I am."

Remus nodded and then leapt up and rushed out of the room. Sirius smiled to himself as he heard Remus rushing up the stairs.

Remus stopped outside Harry's closed door and knocked. Harry opened it and said, "What do you want, Remus?"

"Harry, can I come in?" Remus said, a little breathless.

Harry sighed and moved aside to let Remus in.

"Now what do you want?"

"Harry, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you or treat you the way I did. But you have to understand, Sirius is my best friend and practically my brother. I was stupid to have blamed you for any of what happened. I just…I'm sorry." Remus had tears in his eyes as he said this.

Harry nodded and said, "Remus, believe me, I get it. And, if it makes you feel any better to hear it, I forgive you."

Remus tentatively opened his arms and Harry smiled and hugged his former professor.

"Can you believe that Sirius is actually alive? This is amazing. We can finally be a family, him and I. And you, of course, seeing as you are my second godfather."

Remus smiled and nodded. "Oh, and Harry, next time, Voldemort puts an image in your head, don't believe it."

"Can and will do, Remus."


End file.
